TED NewsDesk, New Delhi. University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi had appointed a registrar and pro-Vice Chancellor earlier this week despite being away on medical leave. The Ministry of Education has thus requested President Ram Nath Kovind, who is also Delhi University’s Visitor, for an inquiry against DU Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi for alleged administrative lapses.
This request comes due to the incident on 21 October, wherein Tyagi appointed a University Registrar and a pro-Vice Chancellor, despite being on medical leave. The Ministry passed an order on 22 October nullifying Tyagi’s appointments, in response to this lapse. It noted that Tyagi did not have the authority to make the decisions since he was on medical leave and had to first submit a medical fitness certificate to the government before resuming office.
There were several meetings held by the Ministry after said incident to deliberate the plan of action and officials have decided to initiate an inquiry against Tyagi. Confirming the development, a senior official in the ministry, who looks after central universities, said, “We have sent a file to the Visitor for his consideration.”
If the President approves the enquiry, Tyagi can be sent on leave until the investigation is concluded. The incumbent V-C is due to demit office by early 2021. As per sources from the Ministry, the 22 October incident is the latest in a series of complaints against Tyagi from the past. “Teachers at DU have been consistently complaining to the ministry about the V-C, but the complaints are about his inaction. He does not act on promotions, filling up vacancies and other administrative matters. So there was no basis for us to take action so far, but with the latest incident, we can do that,” said a source in the Ministry.
A leadership crisis had brimmed to the surface in DU on 21 October when Tyagi appointed Prof. P.C. Jha as the University Registrar, signing a letter confirming his appointment. This was on the same day that the university was supposed to hold an executive council (EC) meeting to decide on the permanent position of a registrar and a finance officer. The board went forward with the meeting and, in turn, appointed Vikash Gupta as registrar.
The council’s appointment did not sit well with Tyagi, and a day later, he appointed Geeta Bhatt, associate professor at Bhaskaracharya College of Applied Sciences, as a replacement for Joshi as the acting pro-Vice-Chancellor. The concept behind this move was to liquidate Joshi’s decisions. On the same evening, the ministry passed an order nullifying the two appointments.
With this investigation, given that there have been prior complaints against Tyagi, perhaps it shall be best for Delhi University’s administration to keep a check on leadership crises.
